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Part 1: A Spiritual Journey and the Awakening of a Hospital Śānti, Śānti... Śrī Dīpṇārāyaṇa Gwānā Kī Jai. Śrī Alakhpurījī. Śrī Tapit Paramparā Kī Jai. Śrī Deveśvarāma Deva Kī Jai. Hindu Dharma Samrāṭ, Satguru Svāmī Madhavānanda Bhagavān Kī Jai. Viśvaguru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvarānanda Svāmī Maheśvarānandajī Guru Deva Kī Jai. Hari Om and good evening to all our friends around the world. We are here together today under the protection of Swāmījī in Vép, Hungary. Swamiji will come in half an hour, and he gave me the opportunity five minutes ago to speak about one of his social projects in India. That is the Sri Swami Mādhavānanda Austria Hospital. Many of you know this project, and you have been in India. This hospital is named after Holy Gurujī. Fourteen years ago, we started to work on this project. One and a half years ago, the construction of the hospital was finished, thanks to the help of all of you, and we are very thankful that you helped so much with this. It is a wonderful building in the form of a star, five levels high. When you see it, especially at night, it looks like a five-star hotel, and even like in a dream. It was interesting that from the area there in Jadan, near Jadan, there is a highway passing in front of the hospital, and most people were thinking that’s a mandir, because all the main buildings of Swāmījī have a cupola. So the people were thinking it’s a mandir, a temple, and they were not thinking it’s a hospital. That’s why this year we first put the name, and then we put a big red cross, so that I hope people will know now that that is a hospital. Just very short, I tell you that the construction was finished, as I told you, one and a half years ago, and it is thanks to Swami Yogeś Purī, who was working very hard with his team, that this could be realized. And everything is very beautiful, but the body is not all; the soul is needed. So that’s why Swamījī sent me, two years ago now, to go to Jadan. To start the hospital means to give a soul inside. In the moment, I give my soul inside. And it’s beautiful because the master knows which capacity a person has. But the interesting thing was, you know, all of it happens because of spiritual development. Just the things which are difficult for us, this is only because of spiritual development. So it’s good never to complain, to accept everything, because God, in the form of the Master, tells you and puts you in the difficulties. So my decision, Śāntī’s decision, two years ago was: now the hospital is finished, construction is finished, now hurry home, I go. You know, the man is thinking, but God is guiding, no? Anyhow, I said, "Okay, I will go for six months now in the Himalayas, only for meditation." I will not come down. Nothing. Hurry home. I’m in the last stage of my life, so I have to take the opportunity. I will go for meditation in the Himalayas. And my decisions are mostly strong. If I take a decision, I try to do it. Like Mahāprabhujī says, make your work with firm decision, then success is yours. So that was always a motto in my life. Anyhow, then I was in Jadan, and Swāmījī, in a satsaṅg, without any preparation of course, said, "Yeah, now the hospital is finished, yeah, and now we need someone to start the hospital. Śāntī, you have been going to Jadan for five years now to start the hospital." So, Himalaya, Hariom, I have to go into the business again. So, I was very shocked, to tell the truth, for one and a half days, and I said, "What does it mean?" And actually, I immediately consulted Mahāprabhujī and told him, "Listen, Mahāprabhujī, five years is too long." Because in five years, I will be 70. And with 70, I don’t want to do management anymore. So please reduce it to three years. So we’ll see. I hope it will be. And then I was thinking one thing: God knows everything. So he knows why I wanted to go to the Himalayas for six months. Definitely, he knows. And if he puts me now in the opposite, in the middle of the business, in the desert, he must know why he puts me there. So, there are some experiences which I need. There is something in my personality, some things which have to be changed. You know, to sit on the top of the Himalayas is not difficult, and probably you will not change. But if you are in the middle of a crowd, or in the middle of people who are also completely different—how do you say—not just climate, climate also, but different culture and everything, you are fighting all the time with them, or you try to learn from them. To accept them, to understand them, and to deal with them. And the aim is to start the hospital. And so I understood that it is given to me to develop, for development, spiritual development. So that’s why I’m very happy to be there. And we started last year in November with dentistry. That was not me. I was a dentist, not in a past life, but some time ago. And so, by chance, a dentist came, and he was very interested, so we started the dentistry. And last November, I came back, and I knew, you know, it’s a big hospital, 111 beds, and we need—I mean, with dentistry alone we cannot run the hospital, no? I mean, if you have a broken leg, it’s good if you come to a doctor, no? So, when I came back this year, already before, Mahāprabhujī sent me a very good person, actually two managers. And with them, I could start in April this year. Very, very good job, really. And, you know, this is a blessing if you meet a person with whom you can deal. I tell you, I go 30, 1980, so how many years is this? 1980 was my first time in India, that’s how. 30 years. And I was, I love Indians very much, really. They’re very near to my heart. But I always said one thing: I love to go to India, but I don’t want to work with them. And that maybe was a big mistake. You should never say no to something, you know. You know, you have always to think over why this is happening. So I was always saying this, and you should never say no to anything. And anyhow, now I have to work with them. And actually, Mahāprabhujī sent me really a manager with whom I can work perfectly. He’s not a bhakta. He’s not a bhakta. But we are sitting from morning till night. And we are discussing, we are meeting, we are thinking, and we have exactly the same level, and we make a really very good job together. And now I came back for a certain time, and I actually wanted to stay here until April, until the end of March. But again, Mahāprabhujī interfered, and also this I have to tell you. You see, I came here five minutes ago. It’s not that I asked you for some donation. I mean, I will ask you also, but first I have to tell you, you will say, "Aha, you know, aha, it’s international, aha, you understand this?" If you know the light is, aha, that’s it. So, there was also an idea like this, because, since I told you, for 14 years, I tried—we are trying, not me—we are trying to bring this hospital to life. And for at least ten years, I have been searching for a person to help me with advertisement and public relations, you know. And I was always searching under the disciple of Swamiji. Because I said there are so many beautiful persons, so many pearls, so many with high intellect, so much knowledge in computers and in everything. I have to find someone here to help me, you know, with the advertisement, just how to write on the web, how to propagate around the world, because there are so many thousands of disciples, no? So the most near is to ask the family, no? But there was no success in the way, I mean, in the way that I could find a person beside me, really working with me, yes. All the time, more or less, in contact. Okay, and I have a very nice Indian friend in Jodhpur, and I wanted to make a three-minute video, an advertisement video just for the website, and to send a very short advertisement for the hospital. And this made three Indian professionals. Actually, one of them is a journalist. And he was helping very well and speaking very well. They have been there for three or four hours. We were making a video, speaking, and conducting an interview, and so on. And after, I was thinking, that’s really a very good person. And some time after, I spoke with this Indian friend. And suddenly I said, you know, I think, why am I always searching in Europe, when the people are all around the world? I have to take an Indian. That’s very simple. They are clever, they are quick, they don’t have these qualities which Europeans have, yes? But they are very flexible, very quick, all of them, very intuitive, you know? They are creating something out of nothing. And my friend said, and I said, you know, this person would be so perfect. You know, I met him. I said, you know, you know what? He’s not happy in his job. He’s a journalist, and he’s on television, and he was a television speaker. But he’s not happy in this job. You can ask him. So we called him. He came, and I spoke with him for nearly two hours. And then we offered him. Anyhow, the result is that he will come now, and he will join us, and we will now be three, like Brahmā, Śiva, and Viṣṇu. So the manager, this public relations person, and me. And why I tell you this is that, you know, we are often, very often, I mean me, not you, but in general, we are focusing, we search for a solution for something, yes? And then we look in one direction. It must be this. It must be, I don’t know, this book, this person, this job, this, this, this. We are often like this, no? Aren’t you? So, and I was only focusing on the disciples of Swāmījī for ten years, actually. And really, in the moment when I left this, yes, and I was turning just a little bit—it was not so much, just a little bit—I said, "Why don’t I take an Indian? I should take an Indian." And then Mahāprabhujī was so relaxed, you know, he was so relaxed and happy that finally Śāntī gave up this act, looked only on one point, and he said, and the next day, believe me, the next day this person was standing in front of me. And that’s why I really learned this. You see, we can always give to God, whoever you call Him, yes? You can give a wish. You can give an aim. But you have to leave him the way. That is the thing. Yes? Do you understand? I mean, it’s important, very important, you know? And in everything, we should do this. So, that was a very, very... because in the next moment it happened, you know. So, also in relationship, everywhere, really, why this person? Must not be, you know. Maybe another friend will come, or something will give you what you are missing. So, it’s important that, if we are missing something, we formulate this wish. And He will give us, in whatever form He chooses for us. He has millions of possibilities. We see only this door, and this door, and this door. That’s all. We are in our own small consciousness. But when you open the roof, then millions of stars are there, and all possibilities are there. So, that was a very big lecture for me. So, I wanted to tell you that, practically, you see, it’s not only the work on the hospital; there are things happening. So, I’m actually very, very positive concerning this next year, and I’m nearly sure that in one year, we will have the big step that the hospital is functioning. So now I turn back to the hospital. I will just tell you in the moment what we need, because I don’t know exactly when Swāmījī will come. So I have to make the advertisement now, if you allow me. Okay, so our website is www.helphospital.org, and help, that is the main thing. So wherever you can, please try to help. It is a project of Swāmījī. And this area where Jadan is, I know it now only these last two years because I went out with our ambulance car. We are making camps. That means that we have an old ambulance car, and we put some doctors and some staff members inside. And we go to some villages and give free consultations and also free medicines, which are mostly sponsored by someone. And in the area, 80% are farmers. So, I just wanted to tell you the last details: four months ago, we started the medical services. We now have 15 employees in the hospital. We are still searching for good doctors, and we have a very good subject now and an aim: we are now making the operation theater, and we need the staff for the operation theater. I thank you very much, and I thank Swamijī for the opportunity to speak here. And I thank you all, in the name of the hospital, for all your help you gave us, and please help us further. Thank you, and happy Christmas. Oṁ Īśvara Guruḥ Sākṣāt Brahma Tasmai Śrī Gurave Namaḥ Dhyāna Mūlaṁ Guror Mūrtiḥ Pūjā Mūlaṁ Guroḥ Padam Mantra Mūlaṁ Guroḥ Vākyaṁ Mokṣa Mūlaṁ Guroḥ Kṛpā. Om Śānti Śānti... Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī, Devpurījī Mahādeva, Mādhav Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān Kī, Satya Sanātana Dharma. Good evening and blessings to all of you. Welcome to today’s most beautiful day, that we are here and we have a satsaṅg. The 12 months of this year are going to end. You know what you have done in the last 11 months and 11 days. How much sādhanā you have done, how many good things you have done, how many times you neglected your sādhanā, and so on. This satsaṅg is more or less here in this Hungary, in Vape is the last satsaṅg of this year. And welcome all of you. Bharat, India, is known as the cradle of culture, from where civilization began, education began, the science of yoga, and all the great sages from the Satyuga, Tretā Yuga, Dvāpara Yuga, and the Kali Yuga, which is now going on. It is millions of years that divine wisdom has existed, from the beginning of creation, yugas, manvantaras, kalpas, and so on. In Vedic culture, Vedic religion, and Vedic science, India has given a lot to the world, and still there is a lot to give. But this materialism has somehow polluted human consciousness and diverted humans toward materialism. And that’s why today, not only humans but other creatures and the environment are suffering. Is there hope? Yes, there is. Yes, there will be the dawn, and the sun will rise. It cannot ever be the darkness, the dark nights. So, again, around the world, every fifth person is practicing the science of yoga. The youth are coming towards ahiṃsā and vegetarian diets, thinking of ethical and moral education. Yes, the dawn has begun. Today we are very happy, and I would like to welcome among all of us His Excellency, Ambassador of India to Hungary, Budapest, Gauri Shankar Gupta Jī, and his dear wife Pārvatī Jī. It is very seldom that names have a combination. Well, when he was young, he was born, and the parents gave him a nice name, Gaurī and Śaṅkar together. Shiva and Shakti are together. Gaurī is Śaṅkara. Lucky man. Yes, got a good name. Holy Gurujī said, "One in all and all in one. Good karma, fortunate one." And then the parents chose a partner for him. Though in his invisible form, he is already Gaurī Śaṅkar. But the second, the part of him in physical form, is Pārvatī. Now, it’s a beautiful combination again: Śaṅkara and Pārvatī. So we wish them a very happy, healthy, long life together. Bless you. Someone said that in Indian blood, there is already the philosophy, the wisdom. Yes, Dr. Shanti, you have been in India a long time. In India we say, in the egg of the peacock bird, in the egg of the peacock, you need not put the color inside. The baby which comes out of the peacock egg is already a colorful baby. Yes or not? So, born in India, he already has the Vedic vibration, feelings, love, and wisdom, like a philosopher. Great thought. Even one who has no school at all will have more wisdom and think very high. You know, when you ask a small village farmer who can hardly read his name, and ask him, "What’s your name?" He will say, "My name? Name has only God." What a high thinking, no? "But you great people gave me a name, this chota sa, little my name, Chitaram, or Hanuman, or Jagdish. Say what again, Mr. Saab? What is my name, Bābajī? The name belongs to Rāmjī, but you have given a small name to the mother." You see, it has to be there. And I can tell you, all who are sitting here, you also have that same wisdom in your subconscious. Similarly, wisdom, as much as you learn, more than that you still have to learn. There is no end. No muktamāṇi? Yes. So today, His Excellency is again going to give us some very beautiful thoughts and very valuable information. So please listen, all. And I request His Excellency, Gaurī Śaṅkarjī, and his floor is yours. Thank you very much, Swamiji, for your kind words and also for once again inviting me to this great gathering of devotees, of spiritual people who are searching in their own self, the true self. I am indeed very happy to be here. This is, as you know, my third time, and God willing, I would continue to come here and speak to you and learn from you, learn from Swāmījī, and, of course, will seek Swāmījī’s blessings. Part 2: The Sun: The Source and Sustainer of Life Thank you very much, Swāmījī, once again, and thanks to all of you. First of all, let me also wish you a very happy Christmas and a happy New Year before we start our talk today. Now, Swāmījī has told me that I should speak on the sun today. So, I will speak on the sun. Because I spoke of the dawn, now he will let the sun come out. I started only at dawn, so I think he will do something great. So let us start from the origin of the universe. In the beginning of the creation, Brahmā, the Supreme, the Paramātmā, created five elements, five basic elements. In Sanskrit they are called Mahābhūta: the ether or the space, the air, the fire, the water, and the earth. Everything in this universe consists of these five elements. Among these five elements, He created fire especially to create life, because Brahmā is spiritual; it’s not material. The supreme is spiritual. He created material. Material is what you can touch, what you can feel, and what you can see. So He created the ether, or the space, the air, the fire, the water, and the earth. This is what we call nature. He created this nature. But He created fire specifically in this nature, and the purpose of creating fire was to create spirit, to create consciousness, to create life. Fire is a much larger thing than the sun. The sun is the most visible symbol of fire. Fire is even much larger than the sun. The sun is one of the symbols of fire. And fire exists everywhere in this universe; you can’t see it. The fire exists in this wood; you cannot see it. The fire exists in the water from where we take electricity, which you can’t see. The fire exists in the clouds; when they collide, you can see the lightning. The fire exists even in the stones. You bring the two stones together, and there would be friction. With friction, the fire will come out. The fire exists in us. I’ll explain that a little later, how it exists in us. The fire was created to create life. Even modern science says that this earth was like a ball of fire in the beginning. And then it became all frozen into water, and then the earth was created. Even modern science accepts this. So the sun was created as the most potent symbol of fire. What burns into the sun burns into fire. So, don’t confuse that the sun is the fire. Fire is much larger than the sun, but the sun is the most important symbol of fire. Now, the entire energy, the entire light and heat which comes into this world, it comes only from the sun. Science accepts that there is only a single source of energy in this universe, which is the sun. There is no other source of energy in this world. The energy which you see in the form of electricity, in the form of firewood, even from the uranium plant you generate electricity, from the coal, from the wood, all that energy comes from the sun. And I will explain to you a little later how it comes from the sun. But the sun is the only source of energy in this world. That is why Indian sages in ancient times, going back thousands and thousands of years, worshipped the sun. The Sun was the principal god. It was the god of life and death. For example, you have day, and right now it is night. Tomorrow, you hope it will be day; if it doesn’t happen, day after day, again you hope, and if it doesn’t happen, do you think the world can survive? If the sun does not rise day after day, the whole world will be destroyed. It cannot sustain itself. The sun is the only source of energy. Now I will explain to you in detail how it will work. First, let me explain. The sun is the measurement of time. For the universe, for Brahmā, for Paramātmā, there is no measurement of time because He is beyond time and space. But for us, there is a measurement of time. And that measurement of time comes from the sun. You count the sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset; it becomes a day, midday, evening, morning. Then it becomes 30 suns a month, and then 365 days of the sun become a year. Imagine there is no sun; how will you count the time? There is no way you can count the time. Our entire life cycle goes with the sun. You get up with the sun, you take your breakfast, your lunch, and your dinner, still the sun is, at least part of the sun is visible. In the night when the sun is set, you also set, you sleep. You sleep with the sun. And when you travel in a direction where the sun is setting and rising at different times, you have jet lag. You take time, a day or two, to adjust to the sun cycle. The entire body runs by the sun cycle. So our entire day-to-day life is linked to the sun. Now let us see the water. Water is a source of life. Can we live without water? Can we grow crops without water? How long can we live without water? Maybe a day or two, maybe five days maximum. There would be no crops without water. Water is the source of life. All the major towns and cities are either on the banks of a river, the banks of a lake, or on the sea coast, on the water side. Now, how does the water come? The sun creates water. The fire, not exactly the sun, the fire creates water. For example, when you are running, there is heat in the body, and you are sweating; the water comes. You are in the gym. You do exercise. The water comes from your body. The fire creates water. There are thousands and thousands of examples of fire creating water. Even modern science says the earth was a bowl of fire, and then it froze into water. It accepts that fire creates water. So firstly, water is created by the fire and indirectly by the sun. Secondly, the entire water cycle is dependent on the sun. When the sun’s rays come to the earth, the water turns into water vapor and goes into the sky, becoming clouds. When the sun’s temperature changes, cloud condensation takes place in the sky, and the clouds burst, coming again in the form of rain. If the temperature, which is again controlled by the sun, is too cold like here, then it comes in the form of snow. Then, in the colder temperatures, which are a function of the sun, you have icebergs, you have frozen landscapes. Then they slowly melt with the sun. When the sun rises, they melt and they come in the form of rivers, in the form of lakes, or in the form of streams. The entire water cycle, whether it is ice, water, rain, a lake, a river, or an ocean, is created and run by the sun. The Sun is not only the source of water, but also the manager of the water. The rainfall takes place in some areas, but it doesn’t take place in others. It’s because of what they call high-pressure and low-pressure areas. That is what the science says: high pressure areas, low pressure areas. And that’s how rainfall takes place. How do high pressure and low pressure areas form? They come from the sun’s heat. The sun’s rays come, and they create high-pressure and low-pressure areas, and therefore, the rains take place. And where it takes place depends again on the temperature. So, firstly, the single source of energy in this universe is the sun. All forms of energy which you see in any form, whether it is in coal or in wood or in water or in any other form, are the sun’s energy. The second measurement of time, with which our life is related completely, is from the sun. Thirdly, the entire water cycle and origin of water depend on the sun. Fourthly, all the seasons and weathers, the daily weather and the season, they change because of the sun. The sun’s temperature brings the rain, the summer, the winter, and the spring. Everything comes with the sun’s temperature. As the temperature changes, you experience different weather, different seasons. Even during the day, you experience different temperatures. It’s all because of the sun. We don’t realize it, but it’s all because of the sun. So all the seasons and weather, which govern our daily life, are controlled by the sun. We have to wear heavy woolens when it is cold outside. Why? Because the sun creates that cold. It’s the creation of the sun. Now let’s move a little further. Let’s see the impact of the sun on the crops. Can we survive without food? We can’t. Maybe for a month, maybe for 15 days, 3 weeks, maybe 4 weeks. If some real sannyāsī may be for 60 days, but not beyond that. How does the food come? Where does the food come from? Food, the sun is the principal source of food. Now you have sown the crops in the fields here, but they are not growing because the sun’s temperature is low. They will grow only when the sun’s temperature rises. In March, April, and May, when the sun’s temperature starts rising, the crops will come up and they will mature. They will not mature before that. There is no crops possible in the, you go to Antarctic area. No crops are possible because the sun’s temperature is low. It’s not enough. The crops can grow only if there is sunlight and warmth. The land needs sun because when the land is plowed by the farmer first, why is it plowed? Because it should get sun. It should get sun energy. Without that energy, nothing will grow. So the entire crops, all the, for example, you have a huge, big tree; underneath, the grass will not grow because the sun doesn’t reach there enough. The so-called photosynthesis technique in science doesn’t take place without photo. Photo is what? Photo is sunlight. Without that sunlight, no photosynthesis takes place, so nothing will grow. So the source of food for us is the sun. The sun, in another sense, also serves as a source of food because the water has also been created by the sun. And therefore, both water and sun, which are essential for any crop to grow, are the creation of the sun. So the sun is enormously important. This is an example from the physical world, from the material world, which you can touch and see. Now, I want to go back to our own self. How does the sun govern us? Is the sun impacting us? How does it impact? Let’s think about it. There is an Upaniṣad called Praśnopaniṣad. In that Upaniṣad, six questions were asked about life and death by the Indian sages. And two of those questions are about the sun. One of the questions was, what is the source of life? There is a word in Sanskrit called Prāṇa. Prāṇa literally means life. Now the question was, what is the source of Prāṇa? What is the source of life? And the answer given and explained is the sun. The sun is the source of life. How? How does it govern us apart from the physical aspects which I just explained? How does it govern us completely? First, just take the temperature of the body. What is the meaning of the temperature of the body? Why do we have a temperature? Why is it 98.2 or something? Which means you are healthy, and if it goes up and down, it means you are not healthy. Is it true? When you go to the doctor, the first thing he takes is your temperature or your blood pressure. The temperature of the body is what? It is the sun which governs the temperature of the body, which maintains the temperature in the body. How it maintains, I’ll explain that. But the temperature is maintained inside the body by the sun’s energy, and it keeps us healthy. If the temperature goes down or goes up, we are unhealthy. We have problems. Now, how does it maintain? As I told you, these issues, the issue concerning the sun, its origin, its impact on human life, have been examined by Indian sages thousands and thousands of years ago with great meditation. They went into meditation to examine. These are not spiritual things. These are all scientific things. This is proven science. There is nothing to do with your faith. These are proven things which I am explaining to you. You can feel that it is science. Now, they say that the prāṇa, which is the life force in the body, originates from the sun. It comes from the sun. How does it come from the sun? Because every particle in this open space which we see has sun energy. And when we breathe into our nose, the sun energy goes into our body through the air, and that nourishes the body and provides the energy into the body. It is a scientific principle that without sunlight, nothing will be visible. This thing will not be visible if there is no sunlight. Every particle in this universe has sunlight. If it has to be seen, it can be seen only through sunlight. You take a photograph of anything, it will not come unless there is sunlight in that object. Every single particle in this universe has sun energy. So, there is a sun energy in the atmosphere because the sun rays keep coming the whole day into the atmosphere. So there is a sun energy which we inhale, which goes into our body every moment. It goes with the air. Now, the same Upaniṣad says that this prāṇa, this force of life, has been subdivided into five parts in our body. The first part of the sun energy is called Mukhya Prāṇa. The main life force which resides in this part of the body, in the face, eyes, ears, mouth, in this area. You will understand it when I complete this explanation. The second part is called samāna prāṇa. It is the samāna life force, samāna prāṇa. That is the life force which enables us to take the food inside the body. How do you take the food in? How does the food go inside the body? It should normally eat. There is a force which takes it in. That force is called samāna prāṇa, and that force also helps the digestion of the food. No food can be digested unless there is energy inside this system. We call it in Hindi or Sanskrit agni. Agni, if there is a weak agni in your stomach, you will not digest the food. The Agni has to be enough, the fire inside the stomach has to be enough to digest the food. So this Samāna Prāṇa is the one which takes the food inside, takes it to the intestines, and helps in the digestive system. Now let me explain to you how it happens. You feel hungry three times a day. In the morning, you take breakfast; after four hours, again you want to have lunch; after another five hours, you want to have dinner. While you are sleeping at night, you don’t eat anything because during the day there is sunlight, which helps in digesting the food, and you feel hungry. In the night, the sunlight is less. There is sun energy in the atmosphere, but it is less, and therefore you do not digest the food. That is one of the reasons that in the Indian system, some of the Indian sages had advised that we should finish our dinner by sunset. In the night, the digestion process slows down because the sun energy is little. So the samāna prāṇa helps in digesting the food, taking it inside and making it into what? Into blood, into skin, into, I don’t know, all kinds of thousands and thousands of small juices inside the body, which are needed for various parts of the body. It is not an easy process. We eat whatever we eat, it goes inside and becomes, goes to that fire, and then turns into many kinds of juices which are needed for our body. So that is the second prāṇa. The third prāṇa is called Apāna Prāṇa. Now, apāna prāṇa lives in the lower part of the body, below the stomach, which helps you to evacuate, to take the waste out of the body, and also in the process of recreation, in the process of your reproduction, reproductive organs. For example, you just stop breathing for a few seconds; this Apāna Prāṇa will compel you to breathe inside. It pulls the energy inside, and you will fail to stop breathing because the Apāna Prāṇa compels you to take a breath. It pulls the breath inside, and you will realize when you see, when you are evacuating, when you are discharging your waste, the waste discharge takes place with this prāṇa. If that prāṇa doesn’t work, no discharge of waste will take place, and then you cannot survive for long. So this is the third prāṇa, which is called apāna prāṇa. The fourth prāṇa is called Vyāna Prāṇa. Vyāna Prāṇa resides in each and every particle of the body. It is said in the Indian, it is not said, it is written in Vedic literature, in the Vedas, in the Upaniṣads, it is written, I am not saying this, I am just taking it from there. That is the heart from where the hundred and one basic nāḍīs, I don’t know how to translate the word nāḍī into English, but it is something like a nervous system. One hundred and one basic nerves come out of the heart, and each hundred divides into a thousand, and then each thousand into another thousand. So it’s a big network of thousands and thousands of nerves which start from here and go into various parts of the body. One, I’ll tell you later on, out of a hundred and one, a hundred go like that. And this prāṇa starts from the heart. When we breathe in and out, this prāṇa gets accumulated in the heart, Vyāna Prāṇa, and from this nervous system, which is like a big network inside the body, it goes into each and every particle of our body. Sometimes this finger is not working. Why? It doesn’t work because there is not enough Vyāna Prāṇa. This energy which is reaching here is not enough. Some people have problems with their hands, not movement. Why? Because the problem is that the Prāṇa is not reaching that part of the body in sufficient quantity. That is why the problem arises. And then, all the doctors, wherever you go, will say to give you heat treatment. Part 3: The Sun: The Source of Life and Liberation You go to a hot water spring or undergo physiotherapy with hot applications. Why hot things? Because the sun’s energy is not reaching that area sufficiently, so you need to apply heat treatment. This is all science; it is not fiction or something based merely on faith. These are the four Prāṇas which govern our day-to-day life. Each and every part of the body must have Prāṇa; otherwise, it will not function properly. Even the small tip of your finger will not work properly if Prāṇa does not reach there in sufficient quantity. This is the impact of the sun on our body. Each and every small cell of the body contains the sun. Without the sun’s energy, none of those cells will function. I left out the fifth Prāṇa. It is called Udāna Prāṇa. I told you that there are 101 basic veins or nerves which emerge from the heart. They subdivide into a thousand each, and then another thousand each, going to every part of the body. But there is one which does not divide; it goes up to this part of the body, the center of our brain. That is called Udāna Prāṇa. It connects the heart with the center of the brain. When a person dies, this particular Prāṇa takes the soul with it, along with the mind and the subtle part of the senses, out of the body. This is the function of this Prāṇa. It controls everything else in a way, because if this Prāṇa leaves the body, the soul also departs. This whole system of the body has been explained so scientifically in the Upaniṣads. You can read it yourself; many English versions are available these days. It is explained in detail how the sun’s energy controls each and every particle of our body. For example, right now, the temperature is minus three degrees outside. You would freeze, and people can even die if they are not careful. Why? Because the sun’s energy is minimal. What is temperature? Temperature is the sun’s energy. The sun’s rays create temperature, higher and lower. It is not a lack of sun; the sun is always there. But the lower the sun’s presence, the lower the temperature; the higher the sun, the higher the temperature. In India, the temperature is high because the sun shines most of the time. Here it is less because the sun’s rays cannot reach as effectively in certain northern and southern parts of the globe, due to the movement and rotation of the earth. The sun’s energy, as I explained, governs the universe in so many ways. It is one of the most potent powers of Brahmā, of the Almighty, to regulate the universe and the life within it. In fact, the Upaniṣads state very clearly that the sun was created to create life. There are two words used repeatedly in the Upaniṣads: jaḍa and caitanya. Jaḍa refers to things that have life, but the quantum of life is small. Jaḍa means things that do not move; they are static. Chetan means you have consciousness; you feel, you can move, talk, and go around. That is consciousness. The jaḍa must be made conscious, and for that you need the sun’s energy. Let me give another example from daily life. How is daily life governed? If these lights were not here, you would not be able to see. The eye is linked because of the five elements, as I explained. We have five senses in the body, each connected to one of the five elements. The eye is connected to fire, and the sun is the visible object of fire. Therefore, the eye is connected with the sun. As the sun goes down, your eyesight diminishes; you cannot see beyond a point. You need light. Why can’t you see? The eyes are the same, but you cannot see. You call it darkness, but it is not merely darkness. Because the eye is connected to the sun, when the sun goes down, your eyesight goes down. Now, you have this light. Where does it come from? It comes from the sun’s energy. All electricity, from any source, originates from solar energy. In a car, you use petrol. Petrol is also from the sun. This is energy. You cannot run a car without petrol, electricity, or some power. It is all the sun. The sun makes it run. So, not only are we walking and talking because of the sun, but everything we use is also because of the sun. The sun is a great force in this universe. The sun is not only the source of life but, because of these powers, is considered one of the gods. In Indian writings, in the Vedas, the main god is Brahmā. He is not God but the Supreme. He resides everywhere; everything emanates from Him. But to regulate this world, He creates smaller forces. One of the important forces created by Him is the sun, to regulate this world and provide life to it. To provide fertility—all fertility. The word fertility comes from the sun. Nothing is fertile without the sun. A woman cannot give birth to a child without it; that is also fertility. A crop is also fertility and is part of the sun. To summarize: The sun is the only source of energy in any form on this earth. Secondly, the sun is the measurement of time. There is no measurement of time without the sun. The sun controls your weather and your seasons. Without the sun’s energy, we cannot live. A symbol of this is our body temperature. When our temperature goes down, in India we say, "Āpkā śarīra ṭhaṇḍā ho gayā hai." Ṭhaṇḍā means cold; it means he is dead. It means the energy has gone out of your body. The sun is no more in the body; the energy has gone out. The last part of the energy is Udāna Prāṇa, which takes the entire system out of the body, and the person is dead. So, we are governed by the sun. Furthermore, all the equipment we use in daily life, from a torch to a light, a bulb, a computer, a car, a television, or even cooking food, depends on the sun. A particular day is named after the sun: Ravivāra, Sunday, the day of the sun. Also, a particular stone is related to the sun: the diamond, the most precious one. In the Indian system, there are nine planets and nine stones; each stone is related to one planet. The sun is related to the diamond. Let me give another example of the sun’s importance. When a person dies, according to Vedic and Upaniṣadic writings, there are two paths he may take. One path is called Candrayāṇa, the other Sūryayāṇa. The path that goes to the moon, in the literal sense, and the path that goes toward the sun. The path toward the moon is the path of birth and death, the cycle of rebirth. You will have to return in some form of life and pass through the cycles again; you are not liberated. That is the Candrayāṇa path. The Sūryan path (Sūrya means sun in Sanskrit) is the path of Nirvāṇa or Mokṣa. Once you are liberated from the cycle of life and death, you follow the Sūryan path. This is stated in the Upaniṣads and Vedic literature. They have given so much importance to the sun that they have named the path of Mokṣa, the path of complete liberation, after the sun. This importance has been translated into various rituals and customs in the Indian system. We have days named, as I told you, Ravivāra, and there are many forms of sun worship. In ancient times, ladies would come in the morning and first offer water to the sun as a mark of worship, because the sun is considered the prime source of life. Question: An Indian philosopher once said that the color of the sun is black. What is your opinion about that? Answer: Yes, it is correct. You must realize that everything in this world exists in reverse form. Like a coin has two sides, you cannot find a coin without two sides. Similarly, black and white are linked. One side is black, the other white. Black is the night, white is the day. This is the color of the sun. Actually, it is both black and white in a way. But it has been called black because before the sun came into being, everything was black, everything was dark. The sun removed the darkness, removed the blackness. So, it is both, but yes, it is called black. The soul in the body is supreme. It is the only constant, non-changing thing. But to run the body, to make it host everything, the body has many components: the physical body, the senses (through which we hear, see, talk, touch, and feel—the five senses of action and five of perception), the mind (which is not visible but very powerful), and the intellect. The mind constantly struggles with the intellect: "Do this, don’t do this. This is right, this is wrong." Beyond the intellect is the soul, which is supreme. But to make the body alive, the sun’s energy provides the Prāṇa. Prāṇa is required for the body to run and function. The body will not function without Prāṇa, but Prāṇa cannot exist without the soul. The soul is the basis of everything. Once you remove the soul from the body, nothing can be sustained. The body will die, the senses will die, the mind will disappear, the intellect will not exist, and the Prāṇa will not exist either. To sustain everything, the soul is essential. It is the precondition of life. But to run the body on a day-to-day basis, it is the Prāṇa that runs it, and that Prāṇa comes from the sun. Commentary: Being a sun in our universe—or in our part of the universe, one sun system—within an endless universe (Ananta Brahmāṇḍa), there are thousands of millions of solar systems. Each solar system has its own principles. People forget the importance of basic things in life. One is the source or beginning; surviving and again merging into it is the sun. Nothing can exist, as His Excellency said, without the sun. Therefore, through human intellect, mind, thoughts, and acts, if a human becomes more aware of these things, they can benefit more. To preserve this energy, you need rest, prayers, meditation, and time to speak and explain to your children. Out of all seven days, one day is given, which we call Ravivāra, Sunday. Even the dynasty of God Rāma—Rāma’s time was nearly 10,000 years ago—is called Sūryavaṁśa, the solar dynasty. In Rajasthan, there is a city called Jodhpur, whose original name is Sun City (Sūrya Nagarī). The dynasty of Jodhpur, the Jodhas, is also connected to the sun. The father of God Rāma, Daśaratha, was also a king of the solar dynasty. The Pañca Bhūta (five elements) must be preserved and protected. We have different prayers for the sun. In Sūrya Namaskār, there are twelve names of the sun for every hour. From sunrise to sunset, the sun is known as Brahman, the light. "Eko Brahma Dutīya Nāsti"—the light, that is the truth, God, wisdom. For thousands of years, there was a beautiful temple called the Sūrya Temple (Sun Temple) in Orissa. It should be restored. I hope the Indian government will one day wake up and restore and protect all the ancient culture of India. Some say the temple is only about 1,500–1,600 years old, but this was the time of God Rāma. Modern imagination is limited. The sun god was also revered in ancient European Celtic religion, which believed in the sun god, water god, rivers, and nature. In this modern time, modern education has caused the strong roots of humanity to rot. We must return to the ancient wisdom of our ancestors. Even in Austria and Europe, there is a day called the Day of the Sun (Sonnenwend). They celebrate with a festival involving a large wheel set on fire and rolled down a hill. It is a beautiful festival still observed in villages. Water is very important. Without water, fire cannot exist, and without fire, water cannot be controlled. Gaṅgā is Holy Mother Gaṅgā. Devotees go in the morning, stand there, and offer water. There are twelve names of the sun in prayers, and the Gāyatrī mantra: "Oṃ Bhūr Bhuvaḥ Svaḥ." The sun is a symbol of protection for ladies, for their husbands and families. Therefore, Sunday is also a day for fasting, resting, and praying. From Vedic times, Sunday has been accepted as a day for the holy and for prayers. Thank you. It was a very important and interesting subject. You explained very scientifically that everywhere there is fire. You must be very careful and deal with fire with love. Even at night, we still have fire inside us.